JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his
government's intention to fully reoccupy besieged Gaza, dismissed any agreement
to end the war, and brushed aside any speculations of a rift with US President
Donald Trump.
"There are certainly 20 hostages still alive in Gaza
and up to 38 others believed to have been killed," he said on Wednesday
during a press conference at his office in West Jerusalem.
The Palestinian group Hamas has repeatedly expressed its
readiness to release Israeli captives in a single exchange in return for an end
to the war, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian
prisoners.
Netanyahu has rejected those terms, instead demanding the
disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions and insisting on the full reoccupation
of Gaza.
He also laid out his conditions for ending the war: the
return of all Israeli hostages, the removal of the Hamas leadership from Gaza,
and the complete disarmament of the group.
Netanyahu claimed that once these goals are achieved,
Israel would move to implement the so-called Trump Plan -- widely interpreted
as a framework for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza.
Netanyahu also dismissed speculation of a falling out
with the US administration following a visit to the Gulf by Trump that left out
Israel.
Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates hauled in a series of big-ticket business deals, but fuelled
widespread media commentary pointing out that Israel, Washington's closest ally
in the region, had not been included.
The visit followed Trump's decision to end a US bombing
campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.
Netanyahu, who had previously made no public comment on
the issue, told reporters at a news conference that he told him: "'Bibi, I
want you to know, I have a complete commitment to you and I have a complete
commitment to the state of Israel.'"
Amid growing international pressure on Israel, Trump has
urged a quick end to the war in Gaza and spoken of the suffering of civilians
in the besieged enclave, where an 11-week Israeli aid blockade has created a
deep humanitarian crisis.
In a separate conversation a few days ago, Netanyahu said
US Vice President J.D. Vance had told him: "'Don't pay attention to all
these fake news stories about this rupture between us'".
